Gravitas Ventures Acquires ‘Calvin & Hobbes’ Documentary

Gravitas Ventures has picked up NA rights to Joel Allen Schroeder’s Dear Mr. Watterson, the documentary chronicling the impact of author and illustrator Bill Watterson and his Calvin & Hobbes comic strip. The daily toon ran in syndication from 1985 to 1995 when Watterson ended its run on New Year’s Eve. Still, the globally popular adventures of a young boy and his stuffed tiger lived on in bestselling hardcover and paperback collections as Watterson kept it away from potentially lucrative licensing deals, protecting the property as he did his own privacy in retirement. Dear Mr. Watterson dives into the Calvin & Hobbes legacy with interviews with fans and illustrators alike, including Berkeley Breathed (Bloom County), Bill Amend (Foxtrot), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine) and Seth Green (Robot Chicken and Family Guy). First-time filmmaker Schroeder raised funds for the film on Kickstarter and produced alongside Christopher Browne and Matt McUsic. The docu had its NA premiere at the Cleveland International Film Festival in Watterson’s home base of Cleveland, Ohio. Gravitas and Submarine Deluxe will partner to release the pic in theaters and on VOD on November 15. Brendan Gallagher negotiated the deal on behalf of Gravitas Ventures with Chris Perez of Donaldson & Callif on behalf of the filmmaker.